On a guided tour to DaVinci’s “Last Supper” and then a walk around Milan.
Port-Genoa. Genoa is a major Italian port city. The eastern side is touristy and the western side more industrial. For us we’re leaving Genoa and hopping on a guided tour to the fashion city of Milan. Last time we were in Genoa, we weren’t able to catch a train out so this time June booked us on a cruise shore excursion to ensure a Milano visit. We’re heading out via bus and our drive should take around 2 hours.
The first place we visited was the Duomo, debatably the 3rd largest church in the world. Also known as the Milan Cathedral, it has the most spires of any cathedral in the world.
Unfortunately we needed tickets to enter so instead we decided to ensure our return to Milan one day then go get some food. First was the shopping center of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, where for some reason people step on the mosaic bull’s balls, spin around and take pictures.
“According to a legend, visitors and locals will have good luck if they step with their right foot on the bull and turn 360° with their eyes closed. If you step on the bull on the 31 December at midnight, you will be lucky for a whole year.”
Hey did anyone say you have to specifically step on his balls? Poor fella.
We ate at a cafe facing the piazza and had ossobuco and a margherita pizza. Kind of meh.
Mmm, marrow. Next we gathered with our tour guide and public transit-ed it to the Santa Maria Del Grazia, the home of DaVinci’s “Last Supper.”
The church was finished in 1482, some consider it to be the most important church in Milan.
The room with the painting is stark white above and around the painting. This is because the rest of the room was destroyed during the war, and it was never completely refinished.
Miraculously the painting was saved. Here’s a picture of the sandbags that were placed in front of it to protect it during the war.
Currently 13 Dominican monks reside here. Get this, in 1650 the Dominican monks of the time decided to build a doorway under the painting so they wouldn’t have to walk around from the kitchen to get to the refractory. In the process they destroyed Jesus’ feet in the painting! Measure twice, cut once. Does that mean that all other depictions showing Jesus’ feet are artists renderings?
To the rear of the room is another painting called “The Crucifixion,” which was done in a fresco or wet style of painting meant to last the ages. Because of the time required, the “Last Supper” was painted in a dry style which was and still is a problem. Many restorations have had to be done throughout the last 500 years. The most recent one took 20 years 1977-1999. The painting stands 9 meters wide by 5 meters high.
There’s no holy grail on the table in this version. Although an important element in the biblical story, DaVinci didn’t think it was a crucial element so he left it out. The food and drink on the table may be from what Leonardo Da Vinci would have eaten in the 1500s, not during the time period of Jesus.
Judas the betrayer. He had a satchel of payoff money in one hand. His other hand is reaching toward Jesus’ hand.
After a bathroom stop and visit to the unavoidable gift shop, we reconvened outside to begin our walk to the Castello Sforzesco.
The castello was built by the Viscante family in around 1360 to protect Milan from enemies. All the old city walls or Spanish Walls have been knocked down over time for the city expansion.
This is the sign for the Milanese people. It’s a dragon eating a child and has evolved to signify the city conquering its enemies.
These mulberries were planted in 2019 for the 500 year anniversary of Leonardo DaVinci’s death.
From the inside…
Back to our humble dwelling. This view is one of the great things about being on a cruise ship.
Yeah, that’s a walking track.
See ya, Genoa. Hello….
The WOO family page 